Traveling With Disabilities

At Raleigh-Durham International Airport, we seek to ensure a smooth and stress-free travel experience for all travelers. If you have a question about traveling with a disability that is not answered below, please contact Guest Services at (919) 840-2123. You can also view our other travel tips or contact your airline.

Elevators
All areas of the airport, including ticketing, bag claim and security checkpoints, can be accessed by elevators.

Handicap Parking Access
All RDU parking facilities have universally-accessible handicapped parking spaces. Find these spaces on all levels of the parking garage. Each shuttle serving the Park & Ride lots is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Medicines
Medicines must be professionally labeled by a pharmacy identifying the medication or a manufacturer’s name, as well as clearly displaying the passenger’s name.

Travelers are permitted to bring the following diabetes-related supplies and equipment through the checkpoint to be screened:

RDU Taxi
RDU Airport Taxi Service has handicapped-accessible vans. To schedule, please call (919) 840-7277 to make a reservation and ensure availability.

Service Animals
Designated service animal relief areas can be located on the Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 directories by the symbol. RDU customers with pets are free to access these designated animal relief areas.

When traveling through the security checkpoint with a service animal:

Carry appropriate identification including: cards or documentation, a harness or markings on the harness tags.

Advise the screener of how you and your dog can go through the metal detector as a team while you continually maintain control of the dog with the leash and/or harness.

TTY
TTY public pay telephones for the hearing-impaired are located in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. A TTY unit is also located at each information desk in the bag claim area.

Wheelchairs
Do you need a wheelchair upon arrival at RDU? There are several ways to obtain a wheelchair at the airport:

Request wheelchair assistance when making your reservations.

If you are flying in, please let your flight attendant know before landing.

Ask any skycap on the terminal curbside. They will contact your airline’s representative to bring one to your car.

If you would like a companion or assistant to accompany you through the security checkpoint to reach your gate, contact your airline at the ticketing counter.

The limit of one carry-on and one personal item does not apply to medical supplies, equipment, mobility aids and/or assistive devices.

Ask a TSA screener for assistance with your mobility aid and carry-on items as you proceed through the security checkpoint, if needed.

If you have a hearing disability and the screening process is unclear to you, ask the screener to write the information down or look directly at you and repeat the information slowly.

If you have a visual disability, ask the screener to verbally communicate to you throughout each step of the screening process.

Crutches, canes and walkers will need to go through the screening equipment.

The screener will perform a hand inspection of your equipment if it cannot fit through the security equipment.

Once devices have been screened, screeners should hand back your device to you in such a manner that helps you proceed without difficulty.

Notify the screener if you have any implanted medical devices such as an artificial hip or knee, bone shafts, cranial plates, shrapnel, staples, pins or metal ports that may set off the alarm on the metal detector.